Samsung Electronics delays South Korea re-start of Note 7 sales by three days

SEOUL (Reuters) - Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Sunday it was delaying the start of new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone sales in South Korea by three days to Oct. 1, a move it says is needed for speedy completion of the ongoing recall in the country.

Samsung earlier this month initiated a recall of at least 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in 10 markets including South Korea due to a faulty battery causing the phones to catch fire. The firm said on Sunday about 200,000 affected South Korean customers have turned in their devices, with another 200,000 people left for the recall.

"The recall rate will likely fall sharply should new sales have resumed on Sept. 28," the company said. '